Warrior Wednesday: Unity Day

This is my oldest sister, Liz, and her youngest son, Rocco, celebrating Unity Day in their awesome shirts!

Today is Unity Day. A day where we come together to take a stand against bullying and promote kindness above all else. While Unity Day is focused on bullying, it’s a universal reminder to put kindness and compassion first, which is exactly what My Warrior Project is all about. You don’t know what’s happening in the lives of those around you, what baggage they may be carrying with them.

On the radio this morning, I heard a story of one boy bullying another. The parents of the boy on the receiving end of the hate were eager to get involved. They reached out to the other parents, only to learn the family was homeless.

Their son, who had been acting out at school and picking on others, admitted he was jealous of the other kids because he never had clean clothes to wear. The parents of the boy who had been bullied took the other boy shopping, got him a few nice things for school, and then started a go-fund me page so that family could buy a home. The two boys have become great friends since.

Kindness. Compassion. Love. The reasons we’re all here.

Last night I cried and convulsed in the depths of a panic attack for almost two hours. My husband, unsure how best to help, held me and brought me water, forced me to breathe, and rubbed my back. Today I’m at work, all dressed up with makeup on, ready to attend a community lunch event. I am OK, behind this mask, but I am still carrying with me the ache and pain of the episode. It is not visible, and most people I encounter today will never be aware of my battle. With that in mind, I will face every person as though their tipping point is just one blow away.

The Unity Day campaign calls for all of us to wear orange, to make a visible stand of unity against bullies. I am, as always, wearing mostly black instead. Oops. But still, I stand by those experiencing hate and displacement. I stand together with those who feel their lives are getting harder to live and hope is harder to hold.